Austin and Ally: I Want You To Want Me
by SarahLuvsSoccer
Summary: Ally is 17 and Austin is 19. Dez is Ally's older brother who helps Ally run their parent's store. One day, Austin and Ally met unexpectedly. They later discover secrets about one another and some of them aren't so pleasant. Will they find a way to be together, or at least be friends? Or will each others secrets just be too much for them to handle? WARNING!: THIS IS RATED T!
1. Chapter 1: Falling for You

**Austin and Ally: I Want You To Want Me**

**Prologue:**

Ally was sitting in the practice room of Sonic Boom, her parent's store, which Ally and her brother, Dez, worked at.

The ding on her cell phone timer signified that it was time to lock up, so Ally closed up her song-diary (a combination of a songbook and a diary) and left the room to find Dez. When she got to the main storeroom, it was empty. _I wonder where Dez is_, she thought.

Assuming he already left, she snatched the store keys off the counter and locked the door. She turned away from the door and ran to catch up with Dez. She wasn't looking where she was going; instead she was looking at passing stores. _Abercrombie, Hollister, Victoria's Secret… _

_Oooh I think I have that bra, _she thought and peeked her head down the collar of her shirt to check. _Yep, that's definitely… _Before she could finish her thought, she realized that she could now see the ceiling – she was falling backward. It wouldn't be long now until her head met the ground. Suddenly she stopped falling. At first she thought she was either floating or dead but then she realized that someone had caught her. She turned her head to the right and looked up to see that it was a boy with slightly messy blonde hair. He helped her to her feet and smiled. Ally studied him carefully. He had hazel eyes that seemed to hypnotize her, leaving her frozen in place and staring at him. She noticed his muscles, which were natural looking and not too big, peeking out of the sleeves of his white short sleeve shirt. His shorts were a mocha color, reminding Ally a lot of the Starbucks at the other end of the mall.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked.

"Umm yeah, fine" she answered. "Wait…what happened to me? How did I fall…or almost fall I mean?" Ally tilted her head slightly, looking confused.

"You were looking at something in your shirt and weren't watching where you were going. I think you were running, but you slipped on this water puddle." He explained and pointed to the puddle next to their feet.

"Oh wow! I'm so stupid! I really should be more careful." She rolled her eyes at herself for her stupidity and then stared into his eyes once again.

"It's okay, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt." He picked up her purse and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She smiled. "I'm Ally." She brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Austin. Do you mind if I ask you something?" He looked at the ground nervously.

"Yea, sure. You saved me. The least I could do is answer a question." She started putting items that fell out of her purse back in it.

"Okay, so why were you looking inside your shirt?" He smiled nervously.

Ally blushed. She could tell that he felt uncomfortable asking her this question but she assumed he was curious so she didn't blame him. "Oh umm…no reason." She giggled nervously (she always giggled when she got nervous) "Well…uh…umm…see you around." She picked her phone up from the ground, dusted it off, and put it in her purse. She started to run again towards the building's exit.

"Hey Ally, nice meeting you. Oh and be careful, I wouldn't want you to fall."

Ally stopped running for a second and looked back at Austin. He smiled genuinely and waved. Ally waved back and started running again. _Awh, that's so sweet. We just met and he already cares about my safety. _She smiled at the thought. After Ally left, Austin picked his phone off the floor and put it in his pocket.

**Chapter 1: Falling For You**

Ally's POV:

I was sitting at my desk, trying to do my homework, but I just couldn't concentrate, at least not since I met Austin. _He is just so sweet, _I thought as I gazed up at the ceiling smiling.

Just then I heard a buzzing sound. I looked around the room, wondering what it was. Then I heard the sound again; it was coming from my purse. I fished past lip-gloss and loose change until I found my phone. _That's weird, _I thought, _this isn't my ringtone. _I turned on the phone, watching the screen illuminate. My wallpaper had been changed from a picture of my best friend, Trish, and I to an electric guitar with paint splatter.

A new message popped up on the screen. It said "Are you still going to that beach party tomorrow, cuz if not we can always catch a movie instead?" I read it aloud. Above the text, it said that someone named Natalie sent it.

"Oh. My. God. This isn't my phone!" I screamed. I frantically threw my bed pillows and dug through my drawers in hope of finding my phone, but it wasn't here. I tried to think of places that I might've put it, but the last place I remembered having it was at the practice room today.

_I have a great idea, _I thought as I dialed the phone. _I can just call my phone and whoever answers it is the person whose phone I have._ I waited patiently for the person to answer. When they did, I said, "Hi, I think you have my phone by mistake. Can we meet somewhere to exchange phones because I really need mine back?"

"Sure." The boy said. "You sound familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"I don't think so. My name's Ally." I started to fix my bed pillows.

"Oh I do know you! We met at the mall today remember? I'm Austin, the guy that caught you." Austin said.

"Yeah I remember now." I twirled my hair and smiled. "Do you wanna meet me at Sonic Boom tomorrow at 2 o'clock?"

"Sure." He said. "Bye."

"Bye." I said and hung up.

Austin's POV:

_Oh Ally…she's so beautiful. I get to see her tomorrow and I can't wait! _I drummed my fingers on the table, lost in my thoughts. _Wait! What am I thinking? I'm with Natalie and I really like her, but Ally's just so… No! I can't! This is wrong. On the other hand, they are just thoughts…but this feels like cheating even though I'm not. Hmmm…I know! ... I can hang out with Natalie; then these thoughts will go away. _

I grabbed my phone and turned it on. The screensaver was a picture of Ally and another girl, her friend maybe.

_Oh. _I remembered. _This isn't my phone and I don't know Natalie's cell phone number from memory. So…I guess this means I don't have to see her today. _I shrugged, relieved. _No, I mean I was upset that I wouldn't get to see her. Didn't I wanna spend time with my girlfriend?_

I snapped back to reality and realized I was still staring at the picture of Ally. _It's weird how Ally and I had the exact same phones…well, from the outside at least. Is this some kind of sign? _I thought, still looking at the picture.

I snapped the phone shut, then, I opened it again and scrolled through to the Phone Info on Ally's phone. When I saw what her cell number was, without thinking, I wrote it down on a piece of paper. I turned off the phone and put both the phone and the piece of paper in my pocket.

I stood up and glanced at my glow-in-the-dark watch. "Holy shit!" I shouted. "I'm late!" I quickly threw clothes, toothpaste, toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant, cologne, and a bunch of other things into my old high school football bag. I dashed out into my car, while carrying my bag, and fired up the ignition. _I sure hope Dez doesn't mind that I'm late, _I thought as I backed out of my driveway.


	2. Chapter 2: Drunk Dez

**Chapter 2: Drunk Dez**

Austin's POV:

I was sitting on the red couch in the media room with Dez. We were watching Jaws and Dez was really focused on it. I've seen Jaws hundreds of times but Dez really wanted to watch it so I told him I hadn't seen it yet.

The credits played and Dez clicked the "off" switch on the T.V.

We sat in silence for a while until I decided to break it. "Dez? Can you give me some girl advice?"

Dez's head shot up and he turned to look at me. "You can get any girl you want. Why are you asking me for advice?"

"Well…" I took a long sip of beer. This was the first beer I drank tonight but Dez was already on his fourth. "Usually, girls flirt with me so I know that they like me, but I met this girl at the mall…and I don't even know if she likes me. I don't wanna ask her out unless I know for sure."

"Aren't you going out with Natalie?" Dez made a drowsy grin. He was drunk so it sounded more like "Arrn't yoouu gooiing oout wiit Naaatie?"

"Yeah, but I think I like someone else. Natalie has been acting…different lately, almost as if she's just using me to show off to her friends. When we go on dates it's always somewhere public. Even at the movies we see friends of hers and we always have to sit near them. And when we kiss, it doesn't even feel real; it feels staged. She asks me if anyone we know is watching us and I say yes, since someone always seems to be looking at us; and she smiles and says perfect. Should I break up with Natalie?" I was lost in my own thoughts and didn't realize that Dez was asleep-as well as snoring loudly.

_I'm not going to get any sleep tonight, _I thought to myself.

I grabbed Dez by his legs and pulled him off the couch and down the hall. I was planning on putting him in his bed but since this was the first time I've actually been to his house, I didn't know where his room was.

Suddenly a door in the hall opened. A pretty girl with brown hair and brown eyes came out. She was wearing a white, tight tank top that was very see-through. I could see her black lace bra through the tank top. Her shorts barely covered her butt and hugged tightly against her. Her eyes locked on mine and for a second she smiled. I slowly approached her, pulling Dez behind me. Then I knew who she was. It was Ally and this must be her house.

Ally stopped smiling when she saw Dez. "What the hell did you do to my brother?" She screamed. _Great…good moment gone,_ I thought sarcastically.

"I…uh…nothing." I said, startled by her reaction. "Dez got drunk and fell asleep so I'm carrying him to his bedroom.

"How did you get my address? How did you get in my house?" Her eyes gave away her fear.

"Calm down Ally. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a friend of Dez. He invited me over to spend the night and we were drinking beer and he got drunk and fell asleep." My hands were tired so I dropped Dez's legs.

"Dez never said you were coming over. In fact, Dez never told me about you at all." Her voice was normal now and she seemed a little calmer.

"Dez never told me he had a sister either. " I shrugged. "I guess he was keeping things from both of us, but why?"

"I don't know." She smiled. "Do you need any help with him?" She pointed to Dez. I nodded and picked up his legs again.

Ally went over to the other side of him and took his arms. "Ready?" She asked.

"One… two…three." We said simultaneously and lifted him up.

When we got to his room, Ally opened his door and we carefully lifted him onto his bed. I closed the door softly on my way out.

Ally was walking in front of me and I couldn't help but look her up and down. My eyes landed immediately on her shorts. They said "sexy" on the butt. _Wow those shorts are right._

Ally's POV:

I was so surprised that Austin was in my house, but I couldn't be mad at him; after all, he was trying to help. I just thought about how he would be here all night.

Dez was asleep and my parent's weren't home. Well…I should say parent. My mom died when I was about ten. It's actually kind of a mystery what happened to her. She just went on a business trip one day and a year later her body was discovered near a river.

My dad met someone and now he's never home. He always "goes on business trips", which really means he's going on countless vacations with his girlfriend, which by the way is only ten years older than me. I shivered at how weird that was.

I turned around and saw Austin looking at my butt. He started to blush when he noticed I saw him looking there. I started to blush too and turned around so he wouldn't see.

I still wasn't completely comfortable with Austin staying here-all night, and without Dez awake, but I trusted him enough not to throw him out of my house and call the police.

When I got to my room I said "Goodnight, see ya in the morning."

"Since Dez is snoring, I can't sleep in the same room as him so where can I sleep?" Austin looked really tired.

"Well the couch is uncomfortable and my parent's room is off-limits…so…I guess you could sleep in my room with me." As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I couldn't take them back. _I've never even had a boy at my house…except Dallas, so what would happen if Austin slept in my room? Wouldn't that be weird?_ I sat down on the bed and crossed my legs, trying to hide what I was thinking. Austin looked at me as if I just said that I was pregnant.

"What, you don't wanna sleep here?" I asked.

"I do, but I have a girlfriend right now." He looked at me sadly.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" I think I knew what he was talking about but I didn't want to admit it or say it aloud so I just pretend like I didn't know. Now that I realized that Austin was a friend of my brother, I knew I'd have no chance with him, not that I had any chance with him in the first place.

"Oh never mind." Austin sighed. I grabbed extra pillows for him to use from my closet and put them on the floor, next to my bed. I then got a few blankets and made it look like a mini bed.

Austin lay down and smiled up at me. "Do you snore like Dez?" He asked.

"Don't worry, I don't." I said.

"Promise?" He reached for my pinkie and wrapped his pinkie around mine.

I smiled and squeezed our pinkies together. "Promise."

Austin's POV:

When Ally wanted me to sleep in her room, I thought she meant she wanted me to sleep in her bed with her. _Wow. That would be embarrassing if I did that before I knew what she really meant._

I looked over and Ally was asleep. I thought about letting go of her hand but I didn't want to. I liked the feeling knowing that she was next to me. I yawned and closed my eyes, still thinking about Ally, and her outfit, and her smile.


	3. Chapter 3: Looking Good

**(A/N): Some people said that this story is similar to Little Sister. They are right, it is. I just thought her story was really good and wanted to use a few ideas. If you haven't read Little Sister yet, its by xXDemiFanForeverXx and you really should read it because, in my opinion, I think it's the best Austin and Ally story on this site that I've read so far.**

**Chapter 3: Looking Good**

Ally's POV:

I opened my eyes. I looked down and noticed that I was still holding hands with Austin. I heard footsteps so I lay back down on my pillow and closed my eyes to pretend I was still asleep.

"What the fuck?" Dez shouted and I opened my eyes. "What is this? What are you two doing?"

Dez walked over to me. Austin opened his eyes. "I told you not to date my sister! How could you?" Dez shouted.

"You never told me you had a sister. I couldn't sleep in your room. You were snoring." Austin looked startled.

"Why are you holding hands then? Dez bellowed.

"We pinkie swore that I wouldn't snore and wake him up." I answered, not wanting Austin to get in trouble.

"Okay fine. I believe you. Just don't do anything more!" Dez glared at us and stomped out of the room.

"So are you going to the beach party today?" I asked, remembering the text that Natalie sent.

"What beach party?" He asked. I jumped up from my bed and handed Austin his cell phone from my purse. He turned it on and saw the text.

Austin's POV:

Natalie had left three text messages since yesterday. One was about the party, one said, "Why aren't you returning my texts?" and the last one said, "Are you breaking up with me?" I rolled my eyes at the last one. Natalie has always been very dramatic.

Our relationship has been like a movie, but not one of those fun-filled Action movies; it was more like a Drama.

I looked at Ally and thought about texting Natalie back saying, yeah we should break up, but I knew that Ally was my friend's sister and by Dez's reaction of us holding hands, he would kill us if we dated; and also it's wrong to break up with someone over a text.

Ally was sitting on the floor next to me. I looked at her black lace bra peeking through her shirt that she was still wearing from last night. She wondered what I was looking at and looked down too. She saw that her shirt hang down, showing some cleavage and she also saw that I noticed it too. Ally started pulling her shirt up and blushed, looking nervously around the room. Her shirt came back down when she leaned over a little but she didn't pull it up because I looked away.

I stood up and said, "Can I use your bathroom?"

She said "Yeah." And I went inside and closed the door.

Ally's POV:

_Wow. That was so embarrassing. He kept looking at my boobs. Did I wear that outfit all night? Of course I did, I woke up wearing this. If only I'd known that Austin was here, then I would've at least worn a shirt with a higher neckline and different shorts._

I locked my bedroom door and decided to change into something else to avoid further embarrassment. I pulled off my tank top and bra and picked out the first bra I saw - the leopard push-up bra that Trish picked out for me to wear for special occasions. It was one of the few bras I had that actually made my boobs look bigger than they actually were since I wasn't exactly gifted in that area.

I pulled off my shorts and threw them and the rest of my clothes that were on the floor into the laundry chute. I searched for another pair of shorts and a top but there were none left in my drawer.

It was Dez's turn to do laundry and it hasn't been done for almost a month. "Shit." I said softly. "What am I going to wear?"

I heard a flush and the door burst open. _I forgot how fast boys could pee._

Austin just stood there staring at me; his eyes were wide and his mouth was open. I wanted to hide but my feet were glued to the spot. I was completely terrified and didn't know what to do.

Austin's POV:

_WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. _I just couldn't help but stare._ Ally just looked so…well…good. It wasn't because she was half-naked; it was because I always thought she was beautiful and right now she just looked…extra beautiful._

My eyes wondered up and down her body. I tried to look away but I just couldn't snap out of the trance. _Her leopard print bra looked great with_ _her black lace underwear. Her bra pushed up her boobs so that I could see their outline._

I imagined all the things I would do to her if she let me and all the things she would do to me. My mind raced and so did my heart. I shook the thoughts away; knowing it was never going to happen and that it was wrong to even imagine it.

Ally was staring at me and at first I wondered why, but then I saw it in her eyes. Embarrassment. Now I felt so bad for her. _She's probably thinking "why is there a guy staring at me, who I barely know, while I'm wearing almost nothing?" She's probably really scared and freaked out._

As much as I wanted to stare at her, like that…all day, I also really liked her and didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

I went inside Ally's closet and saw a bunch of robes: red, blue, black, pink, white, and brown. I grabbed the first one I saw. Black silk.

When I reached Ally, I wrapped the robe around her. She smiled weakly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were changing." I looked around the room uneasily.

"It's more my fault than yours. I shouldn't change my clothes when I knew you could've walked out of that bathroom at any second." Ally pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"I shouldn't have been looking at you…like that. It was rude and I know this is no excuse but I just couldn't help myself. You just have a really nice body." _I wish I didn't say that last part. Ally is probably mad at me now. _I started to walk towards the door to her room.

"You don't have to leave." Ally whispered. "I'm sure if it was any other guy they would've done a lot more than just stare at me." I made my way back over to Ally and sat on her bed. Ally sat down next to me.

"So, are you going to that beach party with Natalie?" Ally asked.

"Do you think I should?" I replied.

"It could be fun." Ally pulled the robe tighter around her. Then she got up from her position and looked over at the Thermostat in her room. When she sat back down, she took off her robe and threw it to the floor.

She shifted on the bed, trying to find a position where I wouldn't be able to see her so exposed.

"Why did you do that?" I pointed to the robe on the floor.

"It's really hot in here. The heating and air conditioning must be broken. Sometimes it gets really hot and other times its really cold. Since Dez is considered "the adult" here, he is supposed to call someone to fix it, but he's not that responsible. He mostly just parties and gets drunk with friends." Ally looked a little sad and I was going to ask her about her parents but that might be a little personal to her so I decided not to. Besides…I didn't exactly have the perfect family.

She lay back on the bed and stretched her hands into the air as if she where trying to reach for stars. "So are you going to the beach party? I'm only going if you go." I lay back on the bed too and looked up at the ceiling.

"Why do you care if I go?" Ally asked.

"Well, if Natalie acts like her normal drama queen self, then at least I'll still have someone cool to hang out with." I smiled at her.

"Okay, I'll come. I just need to see if my friend, Trish, wants to come too. Can I have my phone back?" Ally smiled at me.

"Sure." I reached into my pocket and handed her the phone. I watched as Ally texted her friend. She was concentrating really hard like she was thinking of exactly what to type.

Ally's POV:

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Austin watching me. Some people might think it's creepy or nosy, but I thought it was nice to know that he was paying attention to me.

When I was done typing my message to Trish, I read it in my mind. "Hey, do u wanna come 2 a kewl beach pardy 2day at 8? " Immediately she responded. "Sure. I'd luv 2 go! Just need 2 $ a new outfit. Wanna come shoppin now?"

I looked over at Austin; he looked at me expectantly. "Well…?" He said. "Is she coming?"

"Yeah but she wants me to go shopping with her." I turned off my phone.

"And…are you going shopping with her?" He asked.

"I guess I should. I do need a new bikini." I turned my phone back on and texted Trish my reply.

When I was finished, I stood up and headed toward the door. "Bye Austin. See you at the party." I waved and disappeared into the hall. Austin ran after me and grabbed my hand.

"Wait Ally…" He said.

"Yeah?" I smiled, thinking he was going to ask me out until I remembered. Natalie.

"Are you going shopping now?" He asked.

"Of course." I responded. Austin pointed at my "outfit" and I realized what he meant. _I needed to put on some clothes._

I looked through the dirty laundry, trying to find the cleanest outfit there. I finally chose a sparkly pink top with jean shorts that had rhinestones on the pockets.

"Thanks Austin. That would've been embarrassing."

I found Dez so he could give me a ride to the mall.

When I got there, I saw Trish and greeted her with a hug. We sat down at the food court and looked at the map of the mall, trying to decide which stores would be the best for bikinis'. I wanted to look at Abercrombie, American Eagle, and Hollister. Trish liked those stores too, but she also wanted me to get something sexy so I could get a boyfriend. She always tried to set my up with guys. I wasn't really interested in any of them though; every time Trish pointed out a "good match" for me, all I thought of was Dallas. He basically made me apprehensive to date anyone else because I was afraid my heart would get broken again.

Dallas was the first and only guy I've ever dated; I dated him for eight months. One day I told him my family was going away for spring break to see relatives, but then our flight somehow got cancelled so we just stayed home. The next day, Trish and I went to the mall and we saw Dallas kissing another girl. She was WAY hotter than me. She had long golden-blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and a perfect model-like body. I was surprised Dallas was even still with me (I have the looks of a basic, boring average girl) when he could get a girl like that. Even when he broke up with me, it still hurt, even though I saw it coming. After that, his parents found out and were so ashamed and afraid that people would find out and give their family a bad name so they moved to California. _Now Dallas can kiss all the sun-kissed, ultra-thin, big-busted girls he wants._

Four hours, twelve stores, and 100 swimsuits later, Trish and I finally found the perfect swimsuits.

I really wanted Trish to wear a bikini too so I didn't look like a slut as much, especially since Trish picked out my bikini, but Trish said she didn't have the right body to wear a bikini.

_I really didn't want to wear it to the beach party; I mean it was seriously tiny. I really don't know what Trish was thinking. In a way I wanted to look hot, but since I have stage fright, I really don't want that kind of attention. If only there was some way I could talk her out of making me wear it. But Trish did say it would help me get rid of my stage fright by looking confident. Still…I don't know… _

It was from Victoria's Secret (_of course, Trish)_ and had leopard print and golden chain pictures on it. There was a black ribbon tied to one of the straps, charms dangling from the bikini bottom, and a golden chain holding my bikini top together (which made me a little nervous in case it came untied, but Trish insisted).

Trish got a low-cut pink and white polka dot tankini, which may sound like something a little girl would wear but it was actually very mature looking.

We stopped in a few other stores to get sandals. Along the way Trish was telling me about the stores that were her previous jobs; Gymboree (she got fired for yelling at a little boy who stuck a lollypop in her hair), Hershey's Ice Cream (she got fired for turning up the temperature on the thermostat, accidentally, and melting the ice cream), M.A.C Makeup (she got fired for spending more time giving herself a make-over than helping the customers). There were many other jobs she had but I just stopped listening since I already knew that every job she used to have ended with her getting fired.

Trish and I got matching golden sandals that had sparkly straps and a chain that would go between our toes. Trish told me that I couldn't take the bikini back now since the sandals match it so perfectly.

I glanced at my watch; then did a double take. It was 8:23. This party started at 8:00. "Oh shit! We're late!" I stomped my foot hard.

Trish looked at me and shrugged. "Yeah, so? It's better to be late. Fashionably late that is." She smiled and strutted off towards the make-up counter.

"Come on Trish. We are already fashionably late. If we wait any longer the party will be almost over." _I never liked to be late: not with events, not with homework, not with anything._

I started walking toward the exit but Trish pulled me back. "Is there a certain reason why you're rushing to get to the party? Is there a special someone?" A small grin started to creep on her face.

"No, of course not!" I blushed and looked over at the perfume. "Hey is that the new Katy Perry perfume?" I tried to walk over so I could know for sure, but Trish pulled me back.

"Come on Ally. I've known you for a long time and whenever you're trying to hide something you change the subject. Now spill." I still didn't want to look her in the eye. I also didn't know if I wanted to tell her who I liked because then she'd try to set me up with him.

A huge grin spread across Trish's face and her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas. Unfortunately, she could always tell when I was lying; I always avoided eye contact and changed the subject.

"I'm your best friend. You can trust me; I won't tell anyone." She pleaded. I was about to say his name, when Trish started to approach the M.A.C Make-up counter. Thankfully she got distracted easily.

"I have an idea. We can act like we are buying make-up here and then someone will give us a make-over to test it out. That way whoever you like will see you looking hot and glamorous." She whispered, picking up a Sheen Supreme Lip-glass in Asian Butterfly, then put it back.

"I don't know…that sounds wrong. We should at least buy one thing." I looked around to make sure no one heard us.

"It's not against the law. And besides you will look irresistible to every guy at the party. I mean come on, if you're pretty without make-up, you will be beautiful with it; also you get to try something new."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes and sighed. _There was no use in arguing with Trish because eventually I always gave in to what she wanted. Also...I did wanna look my best, even it was just for one night._

I followed her over to the eye shadow section and looked through all the choices until I spotted one I liked; it was a Pigment eye shadow in Old Gold.

We picked out a handful of make-up and brought it to a salesgirl. "Welcome to M.A.C, how may I help you?", the girl sing-songed cheerfully. I looked at her nametag; it said her name is Kate.

"We wanna test out this makeup to see if it looks good before we buy it." Trish said while setting down all her makeup on the table.

"Okay, sit here." Kate pointed to two identical black leather chairs in front of two identical square mirrors. We did as we were told.

Kate quickly examined each of our items to make sure they were testers. They all were so she called another salesgirl over to do Trish's makeup, while Kate got started on mine. A petite girl with short black hair and smoky eyes ran over to Trish; her nametag said Jenny.

When Kate did my lips it tickled a little. I tried not to laugh (I was really ticklish) and thankfully I didn't. When Kate and Jenny were done with our makeovers, Trish and I opened our eyes (we always closed our eyes whenever we got makeovers so we'd be surprised at the finished product) and looked open-mouthed at our reflections.

"So do you girls like it?" Kate asked. Trish and I nodded at the same time. _I looked beautiful, glamorous, gorgeous and usually I didn't think I was really that pretty, but tonight...wow. I've never looked better._

Trish dragged me away from my reflection and toward the store's exit.

_I felt really bad for not buying anything, especially since Kate was so nice...and there was the fact that I owed her for making me look so great... _My guilt took over so I gave Kate $20. When I gave her the money she smiled and I could see her perfectly whitened teeth.

_She reminded me a lot of that girl I saw Dallas kissing. They both have golden-blonde hair, are skinny, and have blue eyes. It's probably just a coincidence though. I mean it couldn't be the same person; that would just be too weird to be real._

As I walked out of the M.A.C store with Trish, I wrote down (in the Notes Section of my phone) all the names of all the makeup that I had on so I could buy them next time I came to the mall and had more money. _I mean seriously I could only imagine looking this good everyday. That would be like a dream come true. _

M.A.C Makeup

-Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation 1.5 (I was really pale)

-Studio Careblend/Pressed powder in light (again, pale)

-Powder Blush in Dollymix

-Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder/Pressed

-Eye Shadow in Pink Venus (put on first)

-Eye Shadow Pigment in Old Gold (put on top of Pink Venus, lightly)

-Fluidline Eyeliner in Black Track

-Zoom Waterfast Lash Mascara

-Dazzleglass Lip-gloss in Like Venus

As we passed by Belk, I found the perfume section and took a few quick spritzes of Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift. _There, _I thought, _now the look is complete and I'm ready to party. I almost forgot about that...the party._

I turned on my phone; the time read 8:57. I grabbed Trish's arm and pushed her out of the mall. _This will be a night I'm going to remember for the rest of my life, _I thought. And as it turned out later, this night ended up being more memorable than I had hoped.

**(A/N): Please review! I really love to get them! This chapter was kind of long but I really hoped you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4: Beach Party Disaster

**(A/N): This chapter has some things that some people might not want to read…just to warn you. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Chapter 4: Beach Party Disaster**

Austin's POV:

I was at the beach party with Natalie. We were sipping margaritas and lounging in beach chairs. The music was blaring through the speakers, but yet you could still hear people talking.

"Are you having a fun time babe?" Natalie asked.

"Uh huh." I nodded automatically.

"Can you rub some more sun-tan lotion on me? I'm still too pale, especially if I want to stay tan during winter." She got up from her chair and lay down on her towel, her back facing me as if she already knew my answer.

"Yes, darling." I said. She always wanted me to call her darling, or honey, or sweetie. She said it sounded cute but it just reminded me of a married couple. I did it anyway since it made her happy.

I squirted the lotion into my hands and started rubbing it on Natalie's shoulders. "On my back too please." She said.

I rubbed the lotion on her back, massaging it in. "Mmmmh." She groaned.

I closed up the lotion bottle and sat back in the chair. "My neck and chest too. I'd do it myself but I wouldn't want to break a nail." She cooed and fanned out her perfectly, painted pink nails.

I got up and put more lotion on her. I started with her neck and tried to avoid her boobs. "You missed a spot." Natalie smiled seductively and pointed to her chest. She blinked flirtatiously.

"Fine." I rubbed it on her chest; she started to pull down her bikini top and her boobs started to show a little more than they already were showing. She didn't look like she was going to stop so I pulled up her top by the straps.

"What are you doing?" I started to stand up but she pulled me by my waist and I landed on top of her. She pulled my face closer to hers and pressed her lips against mine; there was no spark in the kiss, I didn't even feel anything. _I hope I'm not gay, _I thought.

I pulled my lips off of hers for air. "Natalie, what are you doing? We are on a public beach and people are starting to stare."

"I don't care; let them look. I love you Austin and I just want to show you how much I want you." _Of course she didn't care that almost everyone on the beach had their eyes on us. She loved the attention. _

She started to giggle. Her breath smelled heavily of alcohol – the margaritas. _I told the bartender specifically to not put alcohol in her drink. Obviously, he didn't listen. _

"Natalie you're drunk. We shouldn't be doing this; I should get you home." I pulled her up. She sat back down and started laughing uncontrollably.

"I'll go home soon. Just come with me first." She said through laughs.

"Fine. Just don't do anything stupid." She stood up and I followed after her. She opened the door to a shed, which was empty. We went inside and she closed the door.

"I wanna dance with you to my favorite song – our song." She swayed woozily back and forth. We still heard the loud music even in the shed.

The song "Princess of China" by Coldplay was on. As I took her hands, I looked around the room. I saw a bed, a mini fridge, and a bunch of cabinets; it looked a lot like a hotel room. We danced for a while until Natalie wrapped her legs around my waist and her hands around my neck.

She stared dreamily at me; then she reached into her purse and pulled something out. _Could those be what I thought they were? Oh. My. God. They were condoms. _I quickly pulled away from her.

"Which kind, vanilla flavored or regular?" She smiled.

"Natalie stop." I turned to leave.

"Come on babe. It will be fun." She said seductively. I liked Natalie but I wasn't sure if I wanted to have sex with her. Before I could respond she pulled off my shirt and pushed me onto the bed while she lay on top of me. She slid the straps of her bikini top through her arms; her top was only secured by the back clasp. She started to undo the back clasp too.

"Stop Natalie. I really like you but you really shouldn't have sex with someone when you're drunk. Besides, I'm also too young for that." I held up her bikini from the back. If I let go, it would've fallen off.

"Okay." She kissed me.

"Thanks for understanding." I kissed her back. I heard a sound and the shed door flew open; it was Ally.

"Austin? Oh my god, is that you? And…Natalie? Are you…oh my god! You are!"

"It's not what it…" I started.

"No. It's exactly what it looks like. That's so wrong! She's drunk and you're so taking advantage of her!" Ally stormed out.

I let go of Natalie. She put the clasp on in the back and pulled up her bikini straps. "I think we should see other people. I'm really sorry, but this isn't working between us. We'll both be happier this way." I pulled on my shirt. "I'll still drive you home."

I turned toward Natalie; she looked really sad and like she was about to cry but she followed me to my car anyway. _I felt really bad. She just looked so unhappy and it was all because of me. Just because I broke up with her didn't mean I stopped caring about her. I did the right thing didn't I? I had to end it with her right?_

I didn't want to say this to Natalie but being too young wasn't the only reason why I didn't want to have sex with her, it was also because I didn't love her. I liked her a lot and would never want to see anything bad happen to her but I just couldn't picture our relationship going any further than kissing.

The drive to Natalie's house was long and quiet; Natalie and I didn't even know what to say to each other. As I drove around the corner she burst out crying "I'm so stupid… and drunk! No one will ever love me! I'm all alone!" She sniffed.

"You're not alone; I'll always be there for you if you need me – as a friend." I patted her shoulder. Neither one of said another word.

I pulled into her driveway and she got out of my car, wiping away tears. _If only there was something I could do for her to make it all better..._

I turned on the radio and listened to a few songs. "Princess of China" by Coldplay was on. I shuddered; my memories of tonight came back to me. _This was our song, _I thought, _or at least it used to be. _

Ally's POV:

_What the fuck was Austin doing? That was awful! Poor Natalie. If I hadn't come in the room, she could've ended up pregnant! Austin's just another typical guy; and those type of guys only think about one thing. Sex. I mean, it does make sense...he was practically feeling me up with his eyes earlier today in my room when I was getting changed. I did kind of like it...no other guy has ever looked at me like that, as if I was the most beautiful girl in the world. But it did make me feel a little uncomfortable. I can't even imagine what he was thinking; he had a girlfriend and he was "looking" at me. It's not like I'm really even that hot. Then again, he did snap out of it after awhile and handed me a robe to cover myself up so maybe he's a good guy after all. No...He's probably just like Dallas, someone who cheats on their girlfriends. Why do I always seem to fall for the type of guy that would break my heart? _Somewhere deep inside my heart, I still didn't want to think that Austin was capable of something that bad...even though I saw it with my own eyes.

I scanned the beach for Trish, but I didn't see her. I took a huge gulp of my margarita; I always ate or drank things when I was stressed out and the only thing I had around me right now was an alcoholic beverage.

I started to feel a little dizzy and my vision started to blur but it stopped shortly. I've never really had the effect with alcohol as I'm having now but then again, I've also drunk a lot more than usual. The only time I've had alcohol was at family Christmas dinners and church; and I barely drank any those times.

I was dancing by myself (_I probably looked really stupid) _when out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy approaching me. I turned toward him to get a better view of who he was. I recognized him from somewhere...the black hair, the hazel eyes...Dallas. _Oh no, he was back? What was he doing here? _I started to panic. _What should I say to him? What should I do? Should I run? _But I couldn't have done anything even if I wanted to; I was frozen in place.

"Hey Ally! You miss me?" Dallas asked me.

"Dallas leave me alone. I know you broke up with me but after all this time I really don't wanna hear about your amazing new girlfriend and how she's so pretty." I turned toward the opposite direction, trying not to look at him.

"I'm not gonna tell you about another girlfriend I have because I..." His hand was on my shoulder now.

"Okay great, now leave. I don't wanna see you." I shuffled away from his grip and took another three huge gulps of my margarita.

"Ally I miss you." Dallas sighed. "I know what I did was wrong. I just really want to get back together with you. We were a great couple...before all that stuff happened." He took a step closer to me.

When he meant the "stuff" that happened between us, it wasn't just his cheating. At first we were the perfect couple and everyone at our school wished they could be us. Six months after we were together, things started to get weird...He ignored my text messages, told me not to come to his football practices anymore, and we had stupid arguments all the time. Usually it was about me hanging out with some of my old guy friends so he thought I was cheating. What a hypocrite!

"Well I really don't want to date you again. You had your chance with me and you screwed everything up!" I took more huge gulps of my margarita and noticed Dallas had a small smirk on his face but it quickly vanished.

"I didn't realize what I had until it was gone." Dallas lowered his head.

"Well when it comes to cheating I never EVER give second chances." I tried to walk away but Dallas grabbed my arm.

"I think this will change your mind." He kissed me on the lips again and again, each time a little harder. I wanted to push him away but I couldn't; my muscles didn't work. _What the hell is happening to me? _I started to panic.

"Come with me." Dallas pulled my arm as he walked. When he noticed that I didn't move, he picked me up and carried me. And I let him. Why did I let him? I think the alcohol was getting to my brain. I couldn't really think straight anymore.

I closed my eyes for a while, trying to ease my continuous headache. When I opened my eyes, I immediately recognized the place as where I saw Austin and Natalie doing "things".

I collapsed to the floor. I don't know if it was from shock or the alcohol or who knows what.

It felt like an hour before I opened my eyes again. I was on the bed and Dallas was on top of me. I looked down at my body; I was fully clothed (thank god) if you count wearing a bikini as clothes, but Dallas wasn't. His shirt was on the floor. He repeatedly kissed my lips over and over and then he moved to kissing my neck.

"Stooopp Dallaass!" I screamed. I realized that I was slurring my words as I spoke. I tried to get away from him but I couldn't move. Now I wished I had bought a different bikini - one that covered me up more. Dallas acted like he didn't hear me and didn't stop, even though I _knew_ he heard me.

I heard a sound; then there was a blurry object in the room. It was blonde, I just assumed it was Austin but I didn't know for sure because my vision was blurry.

Austin started to yell. "Who the fuck are you? Get off her!" Austin came closer to Dallas and I.

"I'm Dallas. Now get out of here; can't you see we're busy?" Dallas smirked and went back to kissing me.

Austin yanked Dallas off me and punched him in the nose. Dallas punched back but his fist only connected with air. Austin kicked him in the groin; Dallas shrieked in pain and fell to the floor "holding himself".

"Let's go Ally." He held out his hand and I weakly took it but didn't get up.

"I can't move." I said. "I don't even know why."

"I think someone spiked your drink." He looked over at Dallas and glared at him. Dallas was still on the floor holding his groin.

Austin picked me up and carried me to his car. He laid me down in the back seat. I closed my eyes and moments later we were at my house.

He carried me up to my room, lay me down in my bed, and pulled the covers up to me. He started to walk out the door. "Please stay." I whispered. "What if he comes back?"

Austin paused and turned back toward me. "He can't; he doesn't know where you live."

"Yes he does, we used to date but then he cheated on me and dumped me." I pulled the covers down a little, so they rested at my stomach.

"Oh, I'm sorry that happened. That guy is an ass; he doesn't deserve you." I smiled gratefully as he said that.

"Isn't Dez here?" He sat at the edge of my bed.

"No. He's still at the beach party. He's staying at a friend's house tonight anyways." I frowned.

"Okay. I'll stay." He took pillows and blankets and made a "bed" on the floor.

"Can you maybe...I don't know...only if you want to..." I started.

"Yeah Ally?" Austin wondered.

"Well...uh...just in case Dallas comes back, can you sleep in my bed with me? - Wait, no...I'm sorry, I forgot about Natalie." I turned to the other side of my bed, embarrassed that I even asked him to do that.

"I actually broke up with her. Sex crossed the line, besides, she wasn't the right person." There was a long silence between us until he finally spoke again. "I'll lay in your bed with you if you want me to." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"Okay." I smiled and he climbed under the covers, next to me. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer to me. He was so warm and his body felt so good against mine. I dropped my head on his shoulder. I really wanted this moment to last forever, but let's face it, life isn't a fairytale so I don't get my happily ever after; this evening was evidence enough for that.

**(A/N): Please review to tell me what you thought of this chapter. **


	5. Chapter 5: One Missed Message

**(A/N): Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you have no idea how much it means to me. Sorry I didn't have a chapter up in a while. I was in Chicago visiting family and I didn't have my binder with me (I already wrote chapters in it for the story) and I didn't want to rewrite the chapter because I didn't really want to change it. So...on with the story. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter 5: One Missed Message**

Austin's POV:

I woke up and noticed that Ally was still sleeping next to me. Her arms were wrapped around my waist and her head rested gently against my shoulder. I smiled at the sight of her, even though she wouldn't be able to see it. She just looked so peaceful and happy; whenever I was near her I felt like everything was right in the world. On the other hand, when I was around Natalie, I felt like she was suffocating me and trying to turn me into someone I'm not.

I feel so bad for Ally about what Dallas did - or should I say what he tried to do to her. _If I hadn't been there to stop him who knows what would've happened? No, I do know what would've happened. Dallas would've -. No. I really don't want to think about that. Ally's safe now and there is no way I will ever let him hurt her or even try to hurt her again. _

I really wanted to surprise Ally with something special so she could take her mind off last night, specifically Dallas. _What could I do for her though without leaving the house?...I just can't take any chances with leaving her again. Hmmm... I could make her breakfast. Oh wait; I don't know how to cook. Maybe I could look up a recipe..._

I got Dez's laptop from his room. I turned it on and saw a nude picture of a girl. Her hands were covering her boobs...but barely and her legs were crossed to conceal other not-to-be-seen areas. I wondered if this girl was just some random girl or if Dez actually knew her. _I mean wow she's hot! But then again, I still think Ally's hotter and prettier and nicer...and probably a lot of other things better too. Besides this girl is probably just like Natalie - sex-crazed and high maintenance._

I think the perfect girl for me has to have a good, carefree personality. It's more what's on the inside that counts. They also have to be themselves around me and try new things. No matter how hot someone is, if you don't get along with that person then the relationship isn't gonna go very far. With Natalie, she was so hot but I went out with her before I saw her true personality. I only asked her out because she was hot and didn't get to know her first. I also noticed she never acted like herself; she just tried to act like all the "cool" people. Ally is so different from Natalie, but in a good way. She's never afraid to show who she is. I really want to be with Ally but I just can't. I really don't want to hurt her like I hurt Natalie.

After awhile, I remembered what I was doing. _What does Ally eat for breakfast? I don't want to make her something she doesn't like. Well...hmmmm...I like pancakes and so do a lot of other people. Maybe Ally likes them too. _

I searched for pancake recipes on Google. I clicked on one that said "Best Pancakes". I scrolled through comments until I saw the ingredients. It said "Pancake Mix. Just follow the instructions on the box. It's so easy, a caveman could do it." Now I felt really stupid.

I found the pancake mix in a kitchen cupboard. I added the ingredients and stirred. I found the pancake maker and spooned globs of the mix on. I sprinkled chocolate chips on top (my mom used to make them like that for me when I was little). When the pancakes were ready, I put them on a plate and poured some syrup in a mini cup (just in case she doesn't want syrup).

I was halfway to Ally's room when I heard footsteps. _I guess Ally's awake now. Perfect timing. _

I was almost to Ally's door when someone popped out from the room across from Ally's. It was a girl...the one in the picture on Ally's phone.

_What's her name? And more importantly what is she doing here? _When the girl saw me at first her eyes widened and then her lips curled into a grin.

"Hey I'm Trish." She said while approaching me. "And you must be Ally's boyfriend." Her eyes scanned me up and down until she saw the plate and followed my gaze to Ally's room. "Is that a special breakfast for your special girl?" She winked.

"Uh...yes. No...ummm...I don't know." My eyes darted around, trying to avoid her eye contact.

_Maybe Ally told Trish that I was her boyfriend. Could Ally really like me like that? Of course not, that's silly to even think about. Her brother is my best friend so she is like a sister to me; and I would definitely not date my sister. Maybe she was just trying to be friendly...but does she ask all Dez's friends to sleep in bed with her? I doubt it, but maybe she's that type of girl. No, she can't be. If she was, then she would've had sex with Dallas and she didn't. _

"So what are you doing here?" I asked Trish.

"Well...that's not really that important." She glanced back at Ally's door.

"Okay, well did you see anyone else come in here?"

"Nope. It's just me here."

"Are you sure?"

"Why do you care? It's not even your house." She gave me a confused look.

"You didn't hear what happened to her...with Dallas?"

"He's back? Oh no, that's bad. What happened?" She started to freak out a little.

"I think I should let Ally tell you. After all, it's something that she might not want people to know about."

"I'm her best friend! If you know what's good for you, you'll tell me right now!" She shook my shoulders.

"Sorry but I really can't. She'll tell you when she's ready. Wait, were you here all night?"

"Yeah. Pretty much." She shrugged, obviously not caring that she practically broke a law.

"Is there a key that you used?"

"You're not gonna let it go are you?" She put her hands on her hips.

I shook my head.

She sighed. "Kay. I'll tell you how I got here, but..."

_Oh great. What does she want?_

"You have to tell me about what happened with Ally and Dallas last night." She stood with her arms crossed, and stared straight into my eyes.

_Wow. This girl doesn't give up. I don't wanna betray Ally's trust...but she didn't tell me not to tell anyone. At least I can't remember if she did. I was almost as drunk as Ally last night._

"Fine. Deal. But you better keep your promise." I didn't completely trust her even though she was Ally's friend. She seemed sneaky.

"Oh I will. The question is, will you keep your promise?"

"Yeah. I will."

"Good. And if you don't, I won't let you leave" She smirked a little.

I just stared blankly at her and I guess I seemed a little freaked out to her.

"I'm only kidding. Duh. I'm crazy, but not that crazy. Okay so what happened was... at the party last night I was dancing with some friends and was drinking an alcoholic pina colada. I was a little drunk and felt sick so I took a nap in the trunk of your car and I..."

"Wait, what? You were in my car? How did you get in there?" I screamed.

"Calm down you're over-reacting. I just opened the door. You should really lock your car more often. For all you know, a psycho killer could've been hiding in there and killed you when you got home." She stared at me seriously.

"Okay, okay. Finish your story."

"Right, yeah okay. Well I woke up when you got to Ally's house and I followed you inside. I didn't wanna be left outside and there was no way I would walk home at night. My house is 10 minutes away from Ally's and that's just with driving. Anyway, I was hiding in the room across the hall from Ally's and I watched you two. You guys both fell asleep in Ally's bed. I mean wow; Ally never does that with ANY of her boyfriends. That means she must really like you." She smiled and left the house.

_I'm glad she forgot about our agreement. I really didn't want to have to tell her that about Ally. I can't believe Trish and Ally are friends, just are so different. Trish could be a criminal one day if she really wanted to. _I shivered, reminding myself not to get on her bad side.

Ally was still asleep so I set her breakfast down on her side table and tiptoed out of the room. I went back to the den and saw a brown leather notebook that said "Ally's Songbook" on the cover. _Wow, that's cool. I didn't know Ally wrote songs. _I opened the book and read a few. _These are really good! _I started to sing one of them.

"I'm not a model or a super-thin beauty queen.

How can you like me when I'm plain as can be?

You are so hot and I'm so not…

You are so super-sweet, how can I compete?

You always come when I'm in trouble.

When I call, you get there on the double.

I wish I could tell you how I feel, but none of this seems real...

I really want you to be with me.

Isn't it obvious, can't you see?

I like you, I like you, I love you...I think.

I stare at you often times, don't even blink

I feel insecure around anyone else, but when I'm with you I can just be myself..."

Ally's POV:

I woke up to hear someone singing. Whoever it was, they were really good. I looked at the other side of my bed. Austin was gone. _If Austin's not here then...he must be the person singing. This song sounds really familiar. Where have I heard it before? On the radio, on T.V...Hmmm… oh wait, that's my song! How could he? How does he even know that song? The only place I write my songs is in my song-diary. _I dug through drawers to find my song-diary. It was nowhere in my room. _At the end of that song it says who I wrote the song for - Austin. If he finished the song then he would know that I like him. I must stop him from finishing it. _I leapt off my bed and ran down the hall towards Austin.

"...You are the most perfect all-around guy.

I'd ask you out but I'm just too shy." Austin sang.

_Oh no. That's the last line of the song. I really hope he doesn't flip the page. _He turned the page. In one swift move I ran at him and snatched my song-diary away from him. _I just really hope I took it away before he saw what was written there. _

"Where did you get that?" I stomped my foot.

"There." He pointed to the small, round table in the den.

"Oh. Well you still have no right to read someone else's private things!" My eyebrows creased.

"I know. I'm really sorry Ally." He hung his head. "I was just really curious. I never knew you could write like that. Your songs are really good!"

I believed him; he sounded so honest and sincere. "Okay. Just don't do it again. I'll let you off with a warning this time." I cracked a small smile and grabbed my song-diary from him and headed towards my room. I turned back to tell him one last thing "Just remember, no one touches my book." and I closed the door to my room just as I saw Austin nod his head in agreement.

I turned on my phone and I had 1 missed phone message. I listened to it.

"Ally, it's Dez. I'm coming home now. I was gonna stay at Noah's house, but he's passed out and his parents aren't home. Matt and George already went home. I really think he might be in trouble...Just tell Austin he can stay overnight and remember..." There was a loud honking noise and the sound of tires skidding off the road. Someone screamed and there was the sound of glass breaking. Then the line went dead.

I turned my phone off. My eyes were wide and my mouth was open in both shock and horror. _I just really hope the phone connection was the only thing that died last night._

**(A/N): Please, Please, Please review. I really want to know what you think about what happened to Dez. And Trish's sneaking into Ally's house. BTW the song in Ally's song-diary is something I wrote. I know it's not that good, but I'm bad at writing songs. Just tell me what you think about the story so far. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally. (I kept forgetting to write this in previous chapters).**


	6. Chapter 6: The Kiss That Got Away

**(A/N): Read, Review, Enjoy! : D**

**Chapter 6: The Kiss That Got Away**

Austin's POV:

_I wonder who Ally wrote that song for? It sounds like the guy she likes is always there for her...almost as if she's known him forever. She's also too afraid to ask him out and might even love him. Who could this guy be? Maybe it's an old song she wrote; it could be for Dallas, before they went out. But I doubt it. It has to be for someone else...if only it was for me. Even though I'm Dez's friend and Ally is his sister...I think I finally realize how much I like Ally. Well actually, I've liked her since I've met her but I just denied it after I found out she was Dez's sister. Now it's too late. She likes someone else. I mean what can I do, go up to her and tell her how I feel about her. No, she already likes someone else; it wouldn't make a difference. In fact it might even make things worse between us. I really do want her to know how I feel about her but I don't know how to tell her or if I even should._

Suddenly Ally ran out of her room crying. "What's wrong?" I immediately asked.

"There was an accident...Dez...could be dead...phone lost connection...what do I do?" She said between sobs.

"Calm down. It's okay. I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems but we can call the police to see if there's been an accident anywhere." I hugged her and started rubbing her back to try to calm her down. I was probably just as worried about Dez as Ally was but I had to stay calm so I wouldn't freak her out even more than she already was.

She pulled away from me really fast. "Don't tell me to calm down. I have every right to be worried. He's my only brother and he might be hurt."

"No, uhh...I didn't mean for it to sound that way."

"Austin just leave me alone. You just don't understand. I need some time to myself."

"Ally. I'm just trying to make sure you're okay. I really care about you." I blushed and so did she.

"I'm sorry, Austin. I'm just really scared and I don't know what to do." She looked like she was about to cry again so I pulled her into another hug.

"We can get through this together. I'll always be here for you." Ally looked a little shocked at what I said. "What I meant was I'll always be here for you as a friend."

Ally smiled a little, but for some reason it seemed forced. "Okay. Let's go to the police station now. I'm really worried about him. He would never pull a trick like that on me, this has to be real." She squeezed me a little tighter and wiped away her tears with her sleeve.

"I'll drive."

She followed me out to my car. She was shaking a little so I held her hand and I felt her relax a little.

Ally's POV:

When we got to the police station, there were only a few people that I recognized, which were Dez's friends. There was George (jet-black hair and brown eyes. He always did everything that Noah told him to do.), Matt (dirty-blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was the nicest out of all of them.), and Noah (brown hair and green eyes. He was the leader of the group.) Noah was the wildest of all of them and I wouldn't be surprised if he was the "drunk friend" in Dez's phone message.

Noah and I don't particularly like each other. Well we used to like each other. A long time ago, when Dez and Noah first became friends, Noah met me for the first time at my house. He seemed really nice and I liked him but not in an i-want-to-date-you sort of way. When Dez left the room, Noah started to flirt with me. I did think he was good-looking but I never really thought of him as anything more than just another friend of Dez. He was about to kiss me but I told him not to. He suddenly got really mad and that's when Dez came in. He saw what Noah was trying to do so he made it clear that none of his friends could ever date me. He said that not only would it be weird, but he also didn't want Noah to take advantage of me since he's older. That's also why Dez reacted the way he did when he saw Austin and I holding pinkies, he's just paranoid and super-protective.

"Have any of you seen or heard from Dez?" I asked the group of boys. They all shook their heads at once.

"Show them the message, Ally" Austin told me.

I flipped my phone open and found the message section. I clicked on the message and it played. As soon as we heard his voice, everyone in the police station went silent. When the message ended, no one breathed, or at least I didn't.

A policeman came over to me and said, "Can I have your phone. We need it for evidence."

I paused for a while._ What if this is the last time I ever hear Dez's voice? If that's so, this message of his is the last thing I have of him. _Eventually I sighed and handed my phone over. _I guess this is for the best; after all they need this message to find him._

"We will have a team search the road for traces of an accident. In the meantime, keep calling your brother and leave a message on his phone. If he is alive, (I winced at this part) then he will probably call you back if he knows how worried you all are." The policeman put my phone in a clear evidence bag and zipped it up.

"Come on Ally. We should probably go, then they can start their investigation." He looked at me, waiting for a response.

I slowly nodded my head. I started to cry again so I buried my head into Austin's chest and he patted my shoulder gently.

"I didn't know Ally had a boyfriend." Noah stared at Austin. I looked up at Noah from Austin's chest. _I can't believe Noah thinks we're dating! I wish it were true. If I could date Austin, I would be so happy. I just love the way I feel when I'm around him. _

"We're not dating." Austin finally said. I quickly brought my head back to his chest so no one could see the disappointment in my eyes.

"You could've fooled me." Noah smiled a crooked grin.

"Hey. Who are you anyway?" George asked Austin.

"I'm a friend of Dez. My name's Austin."

"Dez told you not to date Ally, right?" Noah asked Austin and he nodded. "Well how do I know you didn't just kill Dez so you could be with Ally?" Noah's voice raised an octave and his fists were clenched.

"Noah, calm down. We are all here to find out what happened to Dez. None of us would want to hurt him." Matt cut in.

Noah glared at Matt until Austin spoke.

"I would never, ever do that to Dez. If Dez were here right now, he would laugh at how stupid we are being." Austin turned to walk out of the police station with me.

"You two look like a pretty convincing couple if you ask me."

Austin didn't even look back at him. We were halfway to the car, when out of the corner of my eye I saw Noah and his group following us.

"Look at you. You probably think you're so great. I think I've heard about you at the beach party. You're Austin Moon right? You had sex with Natalie and then dumped her! Did you know she's my cousin? You have no right to treat her like that and then toss her away just so you can move on to someone new!"

He paused and looked at me. "Have you two had sex yet? Oh wait, I already know the answer to that. If you did have sex with him, he would've dumped you by now." He sounded super angry and kept getting closer and closer to me.

"You know nothing about me! I never had sex with Natalie." Austin yelled at Noah, which made Noah turn toward him.

"Try me. I know you've been staying at Dez's house overnight a lot. I know Dez's house doesn't have security so if someone wanted either of you dead, all it would take is a crowbar and a gun." He smiled maliciously.

My skin started to crawl. Noah really did look psycho enough to kill someone. _The thing with Noah and I happened so long ago I don't even know why he still hates me. Well I guess he's convinced that Austin treated his cousin badly and since he thinks I'm dating Austin he hates me too. _Noah suddenly grabbed my arm hard and pulled me close to him. "She's pretty." He said to Austin. "I wonder if you would really miss this little slut if she was gone?" _Oh no. What is he gonna do to me?_

Austin quickly pulled me away from his grip and punched him in the nose. There was a thin trickle of blood running down where he was hit.

"Don't you ever talk to Ally like that!" I noticed Austin look over at me and I guess he could tell I was really scared by now. I felt dry tear marks all over my face and my eyes were wide with shock.

I reached toward Austin for a hug and whispered in his ear. "Thanks."

"No problem." He replied. "It was actually my pleasure to put that asshole in his place. So you wanna go home?"

"Definitely." I let go of Austin and we climbed into his car.

When we got back to my house, Austin made sure to triple-check that all the doors and windows in the house were locked. I didn't want any surprise visitors in the night, especially since Noah was right, we didn't have a security system.

Austin's POV:

Ally slumped on the couch, looking glum. I felt really bad to see her like this. It was so unlike her usual happy self.

"Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?" I asked.

"Not unless you can magically make Dez appear." She said hopelessly.

"I can always leave you alone if you want. You seem like you got a lot on your mind." Honestly I really didn't want to leave but she just seemed like she needed her space, and when a girl needs her space, you just have to leave them alone.

I started to walk away but she took my hand. "If you weren't here I would be all alone and not know what to do. It's easier to deal with something like this by getting my mind off it - by being with you." She smiled a little but I could still tell that she was on the edge of breaking down.

_This must be really hard for her to possibly lose Dez. First Dallas did all this shit to her, now Dez is missing, and then Noah harassed her like that, she must be dealing with a lot of stress. On top of all that, where are her parents? They don't even seem to be around so without Dez she would be alone in this house most of the time. _I was sitting next to Ally now. We were sitting so close together that our legs were touching. Ally slowly leaned in closer to me. _I think she wants me to kiss her. This is the moment I've been waiting for. I should just go for it. _I leaned in too until our lips were inches apart.

"Austin, what are you doing?" Ally asked and laughed nervously.

"Uh, nothing. I was just umm..." I scanned the area around Ally, trying to think of an excuse. And then I found one.

"I was just reaching for this bag of chips. I must've left them here when I slept over one night." I peeked in the bag of salt and vinegar chips. There were moldy chip pieces and small clusters of lint and dust. _Eww. There is no way I'm eating these chips._

"And what were you doing." I asked Ally.

"Oh well... it's a good thing you mentioned that. I was just...reaching for my songbook. There it is. You see it? Right behind you?" She pointed to the pillow cushion I was leaning on.

"Here." I handed it to her, trying to hide my disappointment. _How could I be so stupid? Of course she would never kiss me, especially not now with all the stress she's going through. _

"I'm going to bed. Good-night." I plopped down on the couch and yanked off the blanket that was draped over the couch. I would've slept in Ally's bed with her tonight but I didn't want to make things more awkward than they already were.

"Yeah, Good-night." I thought I detected a hint of sadness in her tone but she was probably still sad about Dez right? She disappeared into her bedroom with her songbook and closed the door.

Ally's POV:

_Why did I try to kiss Austin? I like him, that's why. And why did I stop myself before I could? I think it's because I'm scared to let my guard down ever since I dated Dallas. I really can't handle heartbreak very well. Even though I know Austin, or at least I think I do, I still can't help thinking about what Noah said about Austin dumping Natalie after they had sex. Did he really have sex with her? He told me he didn't. But there is a certain thing called lying. _

_I also really don't wanna ruin the relationship Austin and I have already with a stupid kiss. It could be awkward and strange. He also may never want to see me again._

_He's so handsome; he can get anyone he wants so why should he waste his time with a girl that's two years younger than him? That's right, he won't. If only there was a switch to turn off my feelings so I wouldn't be hopelessly thinking about Austin's gorgeous looks and charming personality._

_When we were about to kiss, I really don't think he bought the I'm-just-reaching-for-something act. I was just lucky my song-diary actually was behind him. Hey, how did it get there when I remember taking it to my room? Oh well, I guess I'm just forgetful with all this bad stuff happening to me lately. Why do I feel the way I do when I'm around Austin? Maybe it's this whole damsel in distress act? Austin always comes to save me when something bad happens and maybe I only like him because of that. I really wish I could stop acting so weak and be able to take care of myself, even though it is nice to get 'rescued' from time to time. _

Ever since I met Austin I've felt like someone was watching me. That was one of the reasons why I wanted Austin to lay in my bed with me. Not only was I scared of Dallas coming here, but I was also afraid of whoever I thought was watching me. It's probably nothing, besides I have more important things to be focused on.

I glanced out the window. There was a crescent moon that emitted mysterious light that acted like a spotlight and caused shadows to dance. There were about a billion stars that radiated in the heavens above me. They seemed close enough to see their glowing hue but far enough to stretch beyond your reach. _It's so beautiful out there; it's like the perfect night. Well, almost perfect._ _It would've been perfect if I got to kiss Austin._

**(A/N): Okay, so I know some of you are disappointed that they didn't kiss. I just thought it would more interesting if their 'romance' and their want for each other played out a bit longer so IF they kiss then it will seem more passionate. **

**Please review. Whenever I see a new review, it makes me super happy and makes me update sooner because I get so excited. The next chapter might take a few days because my other chapters I pre-wrote in a notebook but now I have to think about how I'll write my chapters now and I want them to be good so sorry if it takes awhile. **


	7. Chapter 7: The Scarlet Letter

**Chapter 7: The Scarlet Letter**

**(A/N): I'm really sorry I haven't updated for like 2 months. Some 'stuff' happened since then so it made me too upset to write anything...or should I say type. But I don't like starting something that I never finish especially since I read the reviews and saw how a lot of people liked it so far. Also, school is starting again so I might not update very often if I have a lot of homework, just to warn you...**

Ally's POV:

Usually I've only been getting a few hours of sleep each night ever since I met Austin but last night, I didn't sleep at all. There were just too many thoughts running through my head. I was mainly thinking about what happened to Dez, but I was also thinking about Austin and the kiss we ALMOST shared together, not to mention the rest of the events that occurred in the last few days. _I hope Dez is okay. And that he comes back soon; I really miss him, but I have to stop thinking about Dez all the time. It will just keep stressing me out and there's nothing I can do to help Dez; I don't even know where he went. _I made my bed and smoothed out the lumps when another thought occurred to me. _Oh, no. What if Dez is...dead. _I felt my heart beat really fast and there was tightness in my throat. _Not this again. I thought I was done having panic attacks. _Then my normally steady breathing became rapid and I started to feel light-headed. I slid down from my bed, brought my legs to my chest, and wrapped my arms around my legs. _Come on Ally. You can control this. Just do the deep breathing exercises. _I slowly breathed in and out and repeated this again and again but it didn't seem to be helping.

After my mom died and her body was found, my dad forced me to see a therapist so I could discuss my 'issues' with her. I really didn't want to go and I really hated telling people my feelings, unless it was Trish. It made it worse knowing the person was a complete stranger.

My dad made me see a therapist for another reason too. It was because of my panic attacks. They started when the police station called my house to notify us of my mom's body being found. My dad, Dez, and I got on a flight to New York, where my mom's body was found. And that's when I saw her laying there lifelessly. Her skin was a sickly bluish color, there was a stab wound starting at her heart, with the crimson blood running down to her abdomen, and her hands were smeared in dry blood. It caused me to have a panic attack right then and there. It didn't help that practically everyone that passed us by had to stop and stare at me. I mean seriously? Here I was a girl that just saw her dead mother. Can you blame me if I was freaking out? My panic attack stopped after I left the crime scene and ran into a nearby building for air. I drank some water, which probably helped too. I guess I just needed to be away from 'the smell of death'.

My therapist taught me deep breathing exercises to stop future panic attacks, and believe me I had a lot more of them. So now whenever I think about death and other things that stress me out I have panic attacks.

Austin suddenly burst through my room. "Ally are you okay?" He looked worried.

I realized I was still having a panic attack. I nodded my head slowly up and down.

"Are you sure? You don't sound like you're okay." He gave me an I-don't-buy-it look.

I gave him a thumbs up since I still found it hard to speak.

"Do you want some water?"

"Yeesss." I breathed.

He left my room and came back a few minutes later with an ice-cold glass of water. I drank it greedily. _I guess I was pretty thirsty. I can only imagine what I look like now. Austin must find this pretty attractive, _I thought sarcastically.

I stopped my blatant gulping when the phone rang. By that time, I stopped hyperventilating and I could talk normally again. I looked at the caller id on the phone. It was the police station. I answered it, hoping it was good news.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Is this Ally?" The policeman asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm just calling to tell you we found the scene of the accident."

My heart stopped. _I have a bad feeling about this. _"Where is it? Is Dez okay?"

"Well...you should come see for yourself. It's at Sugarcreek Road."

"I'll be there soon." Then I hung up the phone. _How could an accident happen on a road that sounds so peaceful? Ironic right?_

Austin was watching me the whole time. "What was that about?"

"They found the accident. You coming?" I already was sliding my feet into my flip-flops.

He nodded and collected his keys from the table.

Austin's POV:

The car ride was completely silent except for the music. I guess both of us didn't want to talk about what almost happened last night between us.

I guess I must really want to kiss Ally because I find myself constantly staring at her lips. In fact, last night I even dreamed of kissing her. It all felt so right and so real. But now is not the time to be thinking about that.

The accident scene looked horrifying. There was a silver Honda (Dez's car) with both its front doors ripped almost completely off their hinges. The front driver's side tire was popped. The entire hood of the car was smashed, which made it unrecognizable. The windshield was cracked and there were several pieces of glass missing from it. The other car (a red Mercedes) had a deep dent in the passenger's side and the taillights were shattered. Compared to Dez's car, this car looked brand new. There was glass everywhere and a bunch of car parts were scattered all around the road.

I shifted my gaze to the ground; I couldn't stand looking at the remnants of the accident. I saw Ally out of the corner of my eye. Her expression was every bit as terrified as I bet mine was. There were light tears streaming from her closed eyes and I heard her whimper softly.

I put my arm around her but she just stood there in shock.

"Wha Where's Dez?" She whispered.

"I don't know but I'll go ask." I removed my arm from its former place and searched for the policeman that I saw at the station yesterday.

When I found him, I said "Officer Martin, where are the people that crashed?"

He shook his head. "I don't know but we are testing the cars for DNA samples so we can see what the victims look like. Then we'll put them on a missing person's list and begin searching."

"That's not good enough! You have to search for Dez now. You already know what he looks like!"

"This process takes time. I know what it's like to be worried about someone you care about and I'm doing everything I can to help you find your friend."

_He doesn't understand at all. There has to be more he can do. _I stomped away feeling unsatisfied and explained the news to Ally.

"Are you serious?! How would he feel if this happened to someone he cared about?" Ally shouted.

"I know. But we can't do anything about it so we might as well go home."

"Fine."

On my way back to my car I saw a letter that was ripped and slightly smeared with dried blood. I thought about turning it in as evidence but instead I just put it in my pocket. I don't know why I did that. Maybe I was just curious.

I drove Ally home, still thinking about that letter. I didn't want to open it in front of her because I didn't want her to have another thing to worry about. So I decided to wait until she fell asleep.

I peeked over at her one last time just to make sure she was really asleep. She was, so I plopped down on my 'mini bed' next to hers and carefully opened the letter. The thin parchment looked fragile so this had to be a slow process.

After what felt like two hours, the letter was finally opened. It was a little hard to read because of the bloodstains, wrinkles, and pieces of it being missing but I was able to read some of it.

You've failed to listen to my warnings. You know too much so now you must pay-

I had to read it three times before the realization set in. I couldn't even believe this was actually happening. _Oh no, what has Dez gotten himself into?_

**(A/N): Hoped you liked it! I might do a sequel to this but I don't know for sure so let me know if you want me to. : D**


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